Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS) kicks off its summer tour to China with a free noon
concert at Director Park on June 23. Portland City Commissioner Nick
Fish opens the hour-long performance by the MYS Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Interim Music Director William White. Repertoire will
showcase music to be performed in China, and includes White’s Mulligan Overture, Weber’s Turandot Overture and Georges Bizet’s L’Arlésienne.
A highlight of the afternoon will be a performance of the first
movement of Tchaikovsky’s infamous Violin Concerto by MYS Concerto
Competition Winner, Cammie Lee.

The Symphony Orchestra will spend 11 days in China, visiting Beijing, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao-Beidaihe. As part of the American Celebration of Music in China, they will perform at the Central Music Conservatory Concert Hall in Beijing, Tianjin Concert Hall, Beidaihe People’s Cultural Theatre and
at Juyong Pass on the Great Wall! MYS students will participate in
master classes led by professors at the Central Music Conservatory and
in a collaborative concert and cultural exchange with two Beijing high
schools. The days will be filled with music-making and experiencing the
rich culture and history of China. Performance abroad is a
long-standing tradition at MYS that gives young people the unique
opportunity to be global ambassadors through their music. Trips of the
past have included tours to Central Europe, Russia, Japan, China,
Scandinavia, and Italy.